
The workload is grueling, but
take time to de-stress: Your heart depends on it.
The workload is grueling, but
take time to de-stress: Your heart depends on it.
People who've suffered a Apparel
Accessories heart attack
and return to super-stressful jobs are at serious risk for a second one.
Canadian researchers tracked 972 people for six years after their first attack.
When workers returned to a high-stress job, their risk of having another attack
doubled after two years compared with less-stressed workers.
Having a plan in place to
deal with tension is important for all of us, says Randal Thomas, MD, a
cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic. Many people choose to exercise to prevent
stress, such as doing jumping jacks, taking a walk or trying an under-the-desk
pedal exerciser. But for me, the best way to relax is listening to music.
Research
has shown that music has a profound effect on your body and psyche. In fact,
there’s a growing field of health care known as Music Therapy,
which uses music to heal. Those who practice music therapy are finding a
benefit in using music to help cancer patients, children with ADD, and others,
and even hospitals are beginning to use music and music therapy to help with
pain management, to help ward off depression, to promote movement, to calm iPod
accessories
patients, to ease muscle tension, and for many other benefits that music can
bring. This is not surprising, as music affects the body and mind in many
powerful ways. A number of studies show that music - the use of music for
medical goals - can reduce pain. In a 2001 study on burn patients, whose burns
must be frequently scraped to reduce dead tissue, researchers found that music
significantly reduced the excruciating pain. Patients undergoing colonoscopy
also seem to feel less pain and need fewer sedative drugs if they listen to
music during the procedure, according to several studies. Music may also
improve mental state and functioning in people with schizophrenia, according to
a 2007 Cochrane review. Premature infants who listen to lullabies learn to suck
better and gain more weight than those who don't get music therapy. And